garbled

adjective

gar·​bled ˈgär-bəld 

: made unclear or confusing : distorted or mixed up

a garbled message

garbled speech

… scientific cranks—those folks who concoct garbled and grandiose pseudo-scientific theories …

—Robert W. Wilson

A garbled group of syllables came over the speaker.

—Tom Clancy

But so much happened afterward to him that his five-day drive from Cracow to Warsaw soon became a garbled fading memory.

—Herman Wouk

Since the algorithm relies on the absolute accuracy of everything it has read to build the file, garbled information could lead to any number of mistakes.

—Paul C. Schuytema

Examples of garbled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Credit is due to the series' expressive, ever-adaptable Minions and their adorably garbled language, as well as Steve Carell's voice work as Gru, the supervillain at the heart of the story. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026

This story was updated to correct a garbled sentence. —Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 2 Feb. 2026

President Donald Trump has made garbled calls, walked back by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, to resume U.S. nuclear testing. —The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

There was often a communications blackout around Beirut, and when calls did go through, the best anyone could hope for was a garbled exchange of pleasantries against erratic static. —Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1757, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for garbled

• marbled